U.S. Air Force officials have not backed off predictions of a first flight coming later this year, but certain conditions and a note of doubt have creeped in.
Singapore’s ministry of defense has confirmed that the U.S. Air Force sent the Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk on a “short-term deployment” to the island.
The U.S. Air Force is requesting $1.9 billion in RDT&E for its Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) platform, an increase from $1.7 billion in fiscal 2023.
The Air National Guard has increased the numbers of F-15s it flies, and keeping them in the air has taken creative fleet management and intensive maintenance.
The U.S. Air Force recently deployed F-22s to a tiny, bare base in the Pacific for the first in a significant demonstration of its new agile operating concept.